Cold (Inspired by metrope's why are you crying?)
by penguinellie2506
Summary: Another Deviant art inspired story! This one is a lot longer than Don't Forget, just warning ya. Link to the pic is actually in the story, not in the description (cause it won't let me copy/paste the full link :P) check it out, it's an amazing piece! Thanks to all who read, if you can, please R&R, thanks again, and happy reading! (Rated Teen because TF2 is NOT a little kids game)


BTW: Hey everybody! Saw another Deviantart (this one here: art/why-are-you-crying-265240236) and was like OH GEEZ I FEEL A FANFIC COMING ON! And thus, this was written. Here are my brilliant observations:

Engie is crying. Duh. I think we all see that.

BLU Solly, RED Engie

The one that gets me the most is this: You can't see Solly's face, or the front of his body. OH HO HO! Plot twist. Solly could have a fatal injury and we wouldn't know it. Hm.

-End my brilliant observations-

Let's begin, shall we?

When they turned respawn off, battles got much more brutal, and both Medics were constantly at work. We weren't told why it was switched off, we were just given the simple explanation that it had been. I frowned, interrupted from building a dispenser for a wounded Scout when the alarm went off that my sentry was being sapped. Luckily, it was near-by, so I got my wrench out and got to it.

After successfully destroying the sapper, I still had one problem: the Spy. No doubt he was lurking around there, waiting for me to lower my guard, and I called for Pyro as I turned in circles, my gun ready, just waiting for the sneak to show his face. Pyro soon came in and rapidly blew fire around the room, and right in the corner he got him, and soon the Spy had been reduced to a burning corpse. I thank Pyro, who goes off to assist the others in capturing the point, leaving me to go back to Scout, but before I leave I can't help but cast one more glance at Spy's body. He wouldn't be coming back, and though that was convenient, losing your arch enemy make things less…exciting. But I had Scout to worry about now. I turn the corner to where the dispenser was, and find Scout dead, but not only was he dead, but there was also BLU Soldier there. I quickly get out my gun again and was ready to shoot when I saw what Soldier was doing. He was standing there with his helmet in his hand over his chest, head bowed and everything. I stopped in awe. This man was risking his life my merely standing there with his back to the battle, all to pay respects to who? An _enemy!_ I couldn't believe it. I lowered my gun. Soldier, after saying a few words, put his helmet back on, and turned, but stopped when he noticed me.

For a moment we stared at each other. "Uhm…'Ppreciate what you did there, uhm, pardner. He may have been annoying, but he wasn't _so_ bad. 's a shame to know he won't be coming back…"

Another second passed, and the sounds of war raged on around us. Just as I thought he wasn't going to say anything, he spoke. "He fought well. He was wounded, but he managed to get a few bullets in the Heavy. But he didn't last long…I feel sorry for the kid," he said, and he shook his head slightly, "I have no idea why respawn was disabled," he said quietly. He lifted up his helmet with his thumb, looking me right in the eyes, "Look Engineer, I am going to let you go, as I hope you do too for the sake of sportsmanship, my reason being is because this bloodshed is pointless. We are going to fight until there is only one of us left, which sounds glorious, but means nothing to me without a team by my side."

Once again, I was completely at a loss for words. "Uhm-uh-uhm, o' course, Soldier. Again, thanks for uh, feeling for the kid." And with that, Soldier nodded, and was off, leaving me having to catch myself on my dispenser to keep from falling over. Did that actually just happen? Had I just been spared my life by a Soldier on the BLU Team? Why? …Is it possible that someone else besides him thinks the same way, that this war shouldn't be happening? I sighed into my hand, _No, of course not. BLU and RED are enemies to the core. Don't be rash. ...But he _had_ said he didn't like the fighting since there was no point to it…because he wouldn't have a team to be with. Do Soldiers really care like that? _I wondered, but then I shook my head. I needed to keep my mind where it mattered most, right then and there. So I packed my dispenser up, moved it next to the Sentry, and the rest of the day was OK, lots of cries for both Medics, and at the end of it, BLU had lost its Pyro and its Spy, and we lost our Scout and Demoman. After we had a mini reception for the two, we had a very quiet dinner before heading to bed. As I fell asleep, I couldn't help but picture that BLU Soldier, standing there, commemorating our fallen Scout. He seemed like a man I could look up to, someone who seemed honorable. It made me wonder…why was I thinking such great things about him? He was a BLU, I am a RED. Never were the two to spare each other like that, and God forbid, become friends. But the more I thought on it, a friend would be nice in a situation like this. Sure, I had the team, but I didn't open up to them that much. This mutual feeling towards the Soldier wasn't something I was used to. I rolled over, confused and tired from all of this. I solved practical problems, not problems like these.

The next day started off OK. RED was holding the point just fine, though the loss of Demo and Scout had hit us pretty hard, every once in a while I would hear the BLU Scout taunting us about how our Scout just hadn't been as good, causing me to shake my head and bite my tongue, but for the most part we hadn't had any troubles.

But then, as I was searching for metal to upgrade my sentry, I ran into to BLU soldier again, _literally_, we turned the corner and smacked into each other. I was sent toppling backwards, but fortunately, he caught me just in time. Again, for another moment we stared at each other, my hand in his to keep me in balance, our eyes meeting again. "Uhm, thanks, pardner." I say, releasing his hand, which was strong and warm, while mine was cold. Just then, a stray rocket appeared out of my peripheral, and I lunged forward, shoving both of us to the floor. It passed right over our heads, hitting the wall harmlessly, as the buildings do not take damage. I opened my eyes and looked down at Soldier beneath me; his helmet had been knocked off, and I quickly rose, picked his helmet up, helped him to his feet, and gave it back to him. "Er, sorry about that," I said, looking away as I felt my cheeks redden.

The Soldier brushed himself off, took his helmet and putting it back on, replied, "No worries soldier, but why did you do it? You could have simply ducked and it would have hit me full on yet you chose to push me out of the way. Why is that, soldier?" Soldier looked at me, squinting, as if trying to read past my expression, which would be that of a silly little school girl with my cheeks burning like they were.

"I-I just reacted quickly 'is all…" I stutter, obviously lying but I couldn't think with his gaze like that.

Soldier stepped closer, "Don't you go lying to me, maggot. You and I both know the consequences of getting too attached to one another. _Especially_ since we're on opposite teams," he hissed.

"I-I know! It just didn't seem like the right thing to do…" I started getting worried that we would be there too long. "Listen, pardner, can we just go our separate ways and forget this happened?"

Soldier was quiet for a second before he pulled me into a hug. Adrenaline shot through my body, and my heart was racing as I returned the embrace.  
"I'm sorry for calling you a maggot, maggot. But you looked so pathetic…" he trailed off. He didn't have to say any more.

Over the week we saw each other every once in a while, sometimes just glancing and nodding at each other, other times we discussed different things, and before parting we would hesitate before going back out, because each day fighting got worse between both of our teams. We had lost our Pyro and Soldier, BLU had lost its Heavy and Demo, and both our Snipers had headshot each other somehow. It was down to four and four, and I was finding it harder and harder to cope with. One night I found a tear rolling down my cheek as I realized the time for my existence was running into its end. The day after that, I told Soldier about it, and I started to cry until he took me in his arms again, and assured me that it was going to be OK, that it would all be over soon. That night I found myself wide awake with dread for the new day and how close each team had come to obliterating each other. But the thing I was most worried about was the BLU Soldier. If we kept acting like we were, being friends and all, people would definitely start noticing, and that would be bad for the both of us. Soldier was my friend, and losing him would devastate me, but I knew for our sakes, we had to separate from each other, keep our distance in order to keep each other safe. I fell asleep with that horrible conclusion clawing at my heart. Over the night I kept having nightmares of our team losing and being killed by him, and many times I woke up, panting and sweaty, but eventually I got into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next day I took caution and avoided the BLU Soldier, and it worked until I felt a sharp twinge of nonphysical pain in my chest. My immediate thought was _Soldier!_, and I, against my better judgment, quickly ran around the area, searching frantically. I finally hurried by a room when I spotted him, and I rushed up to him, "Soldier, thank goodness, I was so-" I cut myself off when I noticed his helmet was off…and our Spy was dead by his feet. "Oh God, what happened?"

"You were good son, real good. Now go burn in Hell," Soldier muttered, and for a moment I thought he was talking to me, but then he turned around, dropping his helmet and nearly falling on me, but I managed to hold him upright. It was then that I saw the knife sunken deep in his chest.

I stared in horror at it, feebly uttering nonsensical little words. Then the tears came, starting light, then pouring out, and I couldn't do anything to stop them.

*PICTURE TIME*

"Soldier," *hic* "what ha-*SNAP*-ppened?"*sniff* I manage to get out.

Soldier was breathing heavily, "The damn Frenchie thought he was gonna sneak up on me, but I took care of him." *Wheeze*

I quickly shook my head back and forth. This couldn't be happening. "OK, so ya took care of the cowardly backstabbin' snake, but now you're nearly dead because of it!" I frantically look around, "MEDIC!* I call over my shoulder, and I was about to call again but Soldier clamped his hand over my mouth.  
"Shut up, maggot! I don't want that sadistic son of a bitch healing me!"

I'm stunned, "What do you mean sadistic? He's not-" But Soldier cut me off.

"I have _seen_ what that man does! He kept our Spy's head alive in his refrigerator for _eight_ _month_s_!"_

I recoiled a little bit. That was why Heavy refused to go into the fridge to get his sandvich. None of us had really paid any attention. "OK, I'm sorry…I just don't wanna" *hic* "lose you…it's only me, Medic, and Heavy left, and _I don't wanna lose you…"_ I trailed off into incoherent mumbles again, hiccupping and coughing, scared of losing this man, who turned into my closest friend I had ever had, even though I had only known him for a little over two weeks.

"It's OK, Engie, really, it's-" his knees gave way, and I caught him and gently set him down on the floor, my hands trembling, tears still steadily flowing. Soldier is struggling to breathe, and my heart feels like it was being torn into pieces. "I'm sorry for calling you maggot, maggot." Soldier said with extreme difficulty, though he was smiling slightly.

I half coughed, half laughed, and attempted to smile back, but I failed to do so. "Soldier, please, just let me call for Medic. I promise I'll keep him from hurting you-"

"No!" Soldier cut me off, though it was weak. "If anyone found out...I couldn't bear it. They would kill you," he said, looking into my eyes, and he had the look of a once proud soul that was now crumbling faster than he ever imagined possible, and it made it harder not to break down. I sputtered again, upset and despaired, and Soldier put a trembling hand on my cheek, and I held it there to keep it steady. His hand warmed up mine, but I had a feeling that warmth was about to start fading soon. "Engie?" Soldier asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Y-yea, Solly?" I replied, my heart about to break.

"You're a good man, and you don't always got the attention you deserve…I'm sorry I can't give it to you-"

"No, no don't-don't say that," I say, my voice cracking and wavering, "I don't wanna *hic* lose you, Soldier."

***WOAH WOAH WOAH, PAUSE, I GOT AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Y'ALL. I'M GONNA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE: THERE'S GOING TO BE _TWO_ ENDINGS! If you want the "happier" one, skip the following section, if you want to keep with the original plot, then continue reading. Or, you can read both. Your choice***

-Sad ending-

I heard a small breath escape Soldier's lips as I spoke those last few words, and his hand went limp, but I held it there, grasping on to the little life that was left, but already the warmth was seeping out of his hand, and it was quiet, except for the frantic beating of my heart. Soon, I could no longer feel Soldier's pulse, and I realized that apart from whoever was still alive, which wasn't many, I was alone. My one dearest friend in life had been ripped from my grasp just as I decided to tighten it. My nose twitched and I broke down bawling, laying Soldier's hand down on his now blood soaked chest, and collapsed there, shaking with the violent force of the sobs wracking my body, my heart now shattered, as if it were glass. I couldn't hear anything, and my eyes were squeezed tight, and I have no idea how long I stayed there, I do know that eventually Heavy picked me up, carried me back to the base, and gently put me in bed; I remember it all in flashes. I have been here, now, for a couple of hours. Medic came in earlier and informed me that he, Heavy, and I were the only ones out of all eighteen of us alive, after they had killed the BLU Medic, the round ended. I should feel relieved now that the fighting is over, and I should feel sad that I don't have as many people as I'd like to share that joy with as I would like, but instead I feel hollow, like I've lost all meaning inside me. I'm still lying here, awake, in the dead of night, the remainder of my team asleep now after grieving a while longer, but they do not know what I am going through. Heavy and Medic have each other, they are the best of best friends, and I, I have no one. All I can feel now is the sharp pain of reality and cruelty of life, haunted by the memory of his face, and the cold emptiness in my heart.

-End-

-Happy Ending-

At that moment Medic came bursting through the doorway, "I am here, if you are still ali-" he gasps, "Vat are you _doing_?!" He aims his syringe gun at Soldier's head.

"No Doc, NO!" I shout through my tears. "Don't shoot him!"

Medic stops aiming, but keeps his gun raised, "And vy, would I do zat when zat man is zee only thing keeping all three of us from going home?" Medic asks, glaring at Soldier.

"Because he's my friend, and I won't let you hurt him," I say confidently, and Soldier tries to say something but he is too weak, and I'm pretty sure he passes out given the slight, breathy noise he makes. "Now please, I'm begging you, just heal him! He's all I have left…" I say, my confidence shaking thinking about it.

Medic stares at me for what seems like forever, then lowers his gun, walks over, carefully pulls the knife out of Soldier's chest, and heals him, all with a blank face. After he is done, and Soldier is breathing normally, he looks at me, and, in a very business-like tone, says "Zere. It iz done. Zis will be our secret for now, Herr Conagher, now, help me carry him over to where Heavy iz vaiting."

I wiped my tears away, "Thanks Doc," I said, attempting to smile, and then helped lift Soldier up. When we got over to where Heavy was, he looked at us questioningly, but then walked over, carefully draped Soldier over his shoulder, and starts walking towards the base, with Medic and I following.

_Soldier hasn't woken up yet, but that's OK, now that I know he's going to be alright,_ I type in my log entry. _I have no idea what we're going to do now, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it._ I set the laptop on the table and, yawning, slip into bed next to Soldier, who's slow, steady breathing, rhythmic heartbeat, and comforting warmth lull me to sleep.

-End-


End file.
